Statue built to honour reformer whose death sparked Tiananmen

This picture taken on Jan 6, 2013 shows a statue of former Communist Party chief Hu Yaobang, a reformer whose death sparked the Tiananmen Square democracy protests, being unveiled in Taizhou, east China's Zhejiang province. The bronze image, depicting Hu looking into the distance, was set up on Dachen island in the city of Taizhou, according to a brief article from the China Youth Daily newspaper. -- PHOTO: AFP

BEIJING (AFP) - A statue of former Chinese Communist Party chief Hu Yaobang, a reformer whose death sparked the Tiananmen Square democracy protests, has been set up in a coastal city, state media reported on Monday.

The bronze image, depicting Mr Hu looking into the distance, was unveiled on Sunday on Dachen island at Taizhou in the central province of Zhejiang, according to a brief article in the China Youth Daily newspaper.

Mr Hu in 1956 had issued a call for the agricultural development of the island when he was first secretary of the Communist Youth League, the paper reported.

But Mr Hu remains a sensitive figure in China nearly 24 years after his death in 1989 and is a symbol for those who hope China's new leaders will pursue more political openness.